The Legend of the Unseen Man
by lostindreams081981
Summary: They were brothers, Lex Luthor and Clark Kent, by chance. They were brothers that would change the world. Jonathan Kent helped make them men, Martha Kent showed them how to love unconditionally, and their sister taught them what it means to be heroes. The journey of a hero doesn't always walk in the light, but it cannot be hidden from the world forever.
1. Chapter 1

AN: From the One shots, this is an expanded opening chapter for Stepping Out, now called Unseen Man. This takes the basic premise, that Clark Kent and Lex Luthor met as teenagers and changes all of DC.

Chapter One – From Shadows

Doomsday looked like a piece of granite had mated with a silverback gorilla. It easily stood seven feet tall with gray bones jutting out of its back and forearms. The beast had broken through the Army and now the League lay scattered across the plaza. The monster loomed. It panted its rank breath into her face as it lifted her by the neck and slammed her into the ground once more. It held her neck tight, heaving her outward from it, presenting her to Zod.

"Enough, Doomsday," the cold aristocracy of Zod's voice cut through the destruction. "We need one of the League alive to gain access their Watch Tower. Once we're done removing their defenses you can kill her."

The beast growled something that was probably a curse, then dropped her into the crater that it had made with her body. Kara struggled to try and get up, but she felt a foot placed over her chest.

"Do stay down, Kara," Zod pushed her back into the ground roughly. "Be good and you will get to live a little longer, continue to push and I will see if another member of the League who can behave."

Kara groaned as he forced her down into the concrete. Manhunter lay in the rubble of what had once been a ten story building. The monster had decided that the easiest way to remove his threat was to bury him until later. Wonder Woman was not far away, wrapped in something that Zod had created especially for her. The blood that covered the left side of her face was not a good sign.

"it's a beautiful sight, Kara," Zod said with a smile. "The world at the feet of a Kryptonian, as it always should be! As it would have been had your stupid uncle not tried to stand in my way."

Kara groaned. This is why she hated Zod, she remembered him from when she was a kid, and the bastard was still a braggart.

"Oh dear, Kara. You know I killed your father not long after he launched your ship into space?" Zod whispered. His creation, his wonderful son would end the last of the House of El and he would reign supreme. "He thought he had won when he was at least able to save you. The only thing that would have been sweeter was if I could have killed Kal-El."

She hissed. Zod was always an expert at hitting where it hurt the most. She could remember the bright eyed boy as she made funny faces at him. She could remember the smile as she picked him up. She could also remember Zod having his father framed, branded a traitor. She remembered Zod's glee at destroying his ship publicly, while privately preparing his own escape. The bastard revealed in the death of an innocent child.

She slammed her fist against his arm, but his hold only tightened. He lifted her completely off the ground.

"This is why the House of El is so foolish," Zod shook his head. "You thought this paltry League would be enough to stop me? I crushed your uncle, and he was beyond any of you as an enemy."

"I hope you die," Kara growled. Zod simply threw her into the ground. Rubble piled up around her as she skidded across the center.

Zod's march was slow, predatory, and flanked by Doomsday unstoppable. He stopped just before her prone form. Zod looked down at her. The distaste in his eyes was clear. He reared back with his boot and slammed it into her temple.

"Stupid little girl," he hissed, turning back to Doomsday. "Break her!"

Doomsday slammed his massive foot into the ground as it stepped towards her. He roared in happiness, until now his orders had been not to kill the League.

Kara cringed as the massive hand wrapped around her leg, lifted her up, and began to slam her body into the ground. She couldn't fight it. It slammed her into the ground as if she were a rag doll. Each hit driving her farther into the ground.

"You see, Kara," Zod said in distaste. "The House of El was always so foolish, always believing in the good of the people."

He stepped towards her and waved for Doomsday to step back.

"Now, Kara," Zod said as the beast lifted her up and left her dangling. "You will tell us how to access Watch Tower, or the pain you feel now will be the least of your worries."

"Fuck, you," she spat blood into his face.

"You know, Kara," Zod said darkly. "This could have been avoided, had you surrendered."

Doomsday threw her into a building, sending her through three walls before she came to a stop against a steel door.

Zod appeared in the hole that had been created. "So much life lost because you had to hold onto your old beliefs of right and wrong, of power and what it should be used for. You're far to much like your uncle for your own good."

Zod walked to her slowly. His eyes full of mirth at her pain.

"There is no champion to save this day, there is no hope for the people of this world," Zod whispered, he knelt down next to her and gently caressed her chin. "You would have been better off dead, on Krypton, with the rest of the House of El."

Kara snarled, kicking out at him, only for her foot to be caught by Doomsday. She cried out as the beast crushed her ankle, and swung her through a cement pillar. Her body fell limply to the ground.

"And so ends the House of El."

He motioned to Doomsday. The monster stepped forward, but was stopped as a piece of a tank it destroyed earlier slammed into its chest.

Both Doomsday and Zod spun in the direction that the debris had come from.

"You know, Jackass, I hate to break up your party, but the lady isn't going to die today," a cold voice snapped him out of his gloating.

Zod could only stare in disbelief. There was no way that this should have been possible. A ghost, it had to be. There was no way that he could be here.

"Jor-El."

"Don't know who this Jor-El is, Jackass, but I hope he put you in your place," the man responded. "How many people died today because of you? Four thousand? Five Thousand?"

"Why should I care about human life," Zod spat.

"Wrong answer," the man blurred, slamming his fist into his gut. Zod gasped in pain, Doomsday roared only for Zod to slam into its chest.

"Who are you?" Zod asked between breaths. Only Kara should have been this strong, humans were meaningless.

"Me?" The man shrugged. "My name is Clark Kent, not that it will matter in the end."

"Arrogant brat," Zod roared. "After I kill you, I will hunt down your family."

Clark had the gall to laugh. "Please, you're not leaving here in one piece. You and the dumb brick are going to be put down like the beasts that you are."

"My, you're a blood thirsty one," Zod laughed. "What makes your ignorant human such as yourself can stop me?"

Clark raised an eyebrow. "I don't think I can stop you, I know I can, jackass. So what's the creature called?"

"Oh, you will know soon enough fool," Zod gestured to Doomsday. "Take him down!"

Doomsday charged he raised his hulking fist, brought it down, and felt the earth shudder. He looked towards the man in disbelief, as the strength that he had demolished the Kryptonian with could not bring this human down. How?

"Is this the best you've got," Clark grinned. "I have had more of a challenge from Isane and you have eight hundred pounds on her."

With casual ease he hefted the beast into the air. He twisted, slamming his fist into its nose. Doomsday staggered, Clark grabbed it by the ankle and pulled. The beast fell flat and was slowly pulled from the ground. Clark pivoted to gain speed and began to twirl the beast.

With a release the beast flew back through the air, right into Zod. The duo collapsed into the ground from the force of the throw.

"How," Zod roared, nearly throwing the hulking beast off of him. "How the hell are you this strong?"

Clark shrugged. "I have always been strong."

Clark stamped the ground, sending out a crack towards Zod and the beast. "Care to try again?"

Zod blurred, his body moving at speeds that would make the Flash envious, and slammed into the brick wall that was this stranger. He caught both fists with an apathetic look in his eyes. "You know, the same thing applies to you. I get more of a workout from Isane and she is smaller than you!"

"I will kill you," Zod roared. He broke the hold, "I will make you pay for this insult!"

"Keep trying, Jackass," Clark looked at Kara. He completely ignored the look of rage in Zod's eyes. "Damn, you did a number on Supergirl huh?"

He gently knelt next to her and lifted her up. He heard a groan of pain from her and looked down to see blood covered eyes slowly open.

"Jor-…"

"Nope," Clark shook his head. "Zod said the same thing, I am not Jor-El."

"How," she whispered weakly.

"Don't know," he shrugged. "Sorry, I couldn't get here sooner. I was tied up breaking up a slave ring in the Congo."

She stared in disbelief. There was just know way.

"I don't know how you can stand it sometimes," Clark looked down at her. He had heard on the TV that Supergirl answered the calls for the world because she could heard everything. "How can you survive with all of those voices? It's like I can hear the world at times, it's how I know where I am needed. Funny that it's the same for us. ."

She nodded, unable to believe it. He had to be Kal-El. There was no other explanation for it. But her father had said that Jor-El's ship had been destroyed by the government before the destruction. There was no way that he should be here, but he was.

"It seems Jackass and the rock want a fight, will you be okay," he asked setting her down gently.

She nodded, pain in her neck, across her body, but it didn't matter. She had to watch this.

He turned slowly, cracking his knuckles. He was perfectly fine in the shadows. He helped more people that way, because no one looked to stop him. Slave rings, child prostitution, you name it he saw it, but he kept going forward. The people needed a champion, they needed someone to fight in the places where the League couldn't see.

"You had to go and make me come out of the shadows," Clark stepped into a fighting stance. "You had to make people suffer, and you expect me to step aside and let that happen?"

He shook his head. "My father raised me better than that, my mother taught me better than that, and I will make sure you understand that. Evil happens when good men look away. Evil happens because good men refuse to do anything."

He suddenly slammed into the ground. A crack formed ten meters behind them. The ground seemed to collapse around them.

"Supergirl and the League did their part," Clark stood slowly. "Now, I am going to do mine. Bring it on, Jackass. I will take it all and give it right back to you!"

* * *

Alexander Luthor had never been a religious man. He didn't consider himself a good person, his own path to redemption taking so many twists and turns he wondered if he would ever reach that goal. He was not a good person growing up, he was on the path to turn into his father by the time he was sixteen. And by a stroke of sheer chance he met a man that would become his brother, a family that would become his own, and he would be put on that path to being a better person.

"You're my brother," Clark told him the first time he took a bullet that had been meant for him. "What type of brother would I be if I didn't try and save you?"

The moment shattered his world. Gone was Alexander Luthor in his mind and in his place was Alexander Kent.

Clark lived his life with no regrets, he protected all that he could, not because he expected something in return, but because he had the power, because he could, and because he could give them a new chapter to their story. It was something that Lex would hold close, because in all his life he had never met such a person.

"Our father left a great legacy in this world," Clark told him, grasping his shoulder after they had laid their father to rest. "He helped make you a better person, he wouldn't want to be remembered for anything else."

Clark was right, to Jonathan Kent nothing mattered but Martha and his boys and making sure they had the best life possible.

His heart stopped. He had to remember to keep breathing. The image of Jonathan Kent's lifeless eyes meeting his own. Smallville had changed him so much.

He could remember laughing at the thought of the place, it was his father's "humbling". He could remember wondering if the people would even speak proper English, when he lost control of the wheel. He had been driving sports cars since he was thirteen and tried to regain control of the car, but it didn't help. He hit a pot hole, he remembered watching the world flip. He remembered the crash and smell of gas leaking from the recently filled tank.

* * *

_Flashback, Smallville, 15 years ago_

…"Hey, anyone in there?" a loud voice asked.

He slowly opened his eyes. He could feel a cut on his head. How the hell had he been cut? His windshield was gone. The flipping had crumpled the roof a bit, and crushed the glass pane.

"Help…" he whispered.

"Hold on," the voice boomed. "I hope you don't mind what I am about to do to your car."

He heard the crinkle, like someone had taken tin foil and just crumbled it. The next thing he heard was the strain of metal and then a rush of air and light. He looked to the side to see the door gone. He felt someone loosen his belts. Thankfully he had been smart enough to wear one. He should have remembered that the roads here weren't as well maintained as the tracks he raced on.

"You alright buddy," the voice asked. He opened his eyes slowly.

"I think…I think I am okay. Thank you."

It felt odd to say those words. He didn't say that to anyone, not even the staff that served him.

"No problem, buddy," the now teenaged boy, probably a year or two younger than him, said with a crooked smile. "I was just glad I made it in time."

"How…"

"Run really fast," the boy shrugged. "The car doesn't look too good. It looks like the rim got damaged from hitting that pot hole."

"You got an eye for cars," he raised his eyebrows slightly.

"It's a hobby," the teenager shrugged. "What are you doing out here anyways? Metropolis is an hour back that way."

He gestured back to the direction he had been coming from. "Rich guys like you don't come to these parts. They usually just pass through."

He found himself liking this guy. The teenager, someone he had not allowed to be, just came across as open.

"How soon?"

"The Cops?" the teen raised an eyebrow. "Probably another twenty minutes."

"Guess I was lucky you were here," Lex said looking at his now ruined car. Looked like the frame was bent.

"Nah, I was about half a mile up the road when I heard the crash, ran here to get to you." The boy shrugged.

Lex stared at him for a moment. He had crashed less than five minutes ago, the kid had actually made the run and gotten him free in that time? "You're fast."

"Probably the fastest," the teen agreed. He held out his hand. "Clark Kent."

"Lex Luthor."

They shook hands….

* * *

Clark had saved his life. Jonathan saved his life. Now he had to redeem his worthless soul. He had to be better, because they gave so much for him. It was something that no one had really done before. He would not forget it.

"Sir," his aide said, entering the room slightly. "Doomsday has been joined by Zod. They have been seen attacking Supergirl. The League has not been able to stop them."

"Stay strong, Supergirl, he will be there soon," he said looking out the window towards the growing plume of smoke moving towards them. He had no doubts, he had never failed before and he wouldn't start now with so much on the line.

"You place a lot of faith in him, Alexander," the haughty voice of his father said as the aide slowly escaped the room. They had learned quiet quickly that no one wanted to be caught between Lex and his father when they spoke. They results were often explosive.

"He's never failed before," he looked back at his father, amazed at what the years had done to the once proud leader of Luthor Corp. His father looked frail, almost broken. Being pushed out the board of directors for a company that you built had a way of doing that to you. It was for the better though. The vast industrial network that his father had built to supply weapons to the underground had been turned into a machine that would change the world.

Crops engineered to grow in the worst conditions, water works, aiding refugees. The image of Luthor Corp was now almost as pristine as the prick Wayne's, all because of them. All because someone didn't demand excellence from him, but expected it, because he believed he was capable of it.

* * *

_Flashback, Lex Corp Towers, Five Years After First Meeting_

"You're absolutely insane, Clark," Lex gestured wildly with his hands. "Why the hell would you want to get involved in this mess? Leave the hero work to the League."

"This isn't hero work. It's far from clean, it's far from nice, not something that the League can do," Clark defended. "You get more information in a day than they do in a week. They can only react, they can't plan, they can't see where people need the help until it blows up in their face."

"Still, what you're suggesting…," Lex sat at his desk. After Jonathan's death and Martha's paralysis he had promised his family would not be put in danger again, and Clark was trying to change that. "Why would you want to do something like this?"

"Evil happens when good men do nothing, when they turn away," Clark said plainly. There it was, the honest part of Clark that had forced him to save Isane even though it put him at odds with the Yakuza. Even though it cost them their parents. "Mom can't walk because I didn't plan, dad is dead because I didn't plan. We can do this so that none of our family are harmed again."

"Why not join them if you want to be a hero?" Lex asked softly, throwing his hands up behind his head. "Do you still feel guilty because Mom was hurt and dad killed?"

"Because, Lex," Clark said softly. "Yes, I still feel guilty about mom and dad, but it's not that. There is so much going on in this world, so much I hear that I know the League doesn't get too and governments ignore. I am not looking to be a hero, I am looking to help. Between the two of us we can change the world, we've already done it  
for so many."

Lex leaned forward, forming a steeple with his hand. He knew that there was no arguing with Clark when he was like this.

"What will you need?"

"I need my brother," Clark said with certainty. "The rest will take care of itself, as we change the world."

Lex shook his head and sighed. Sometimes he swore Clark was a complete alien…

* * *

"You place far to much faith in your, Unseen Man," his father admonished.

"He's never given me a reason not to place my faith in him," Lex snapped. "Every fight we have gotten in, we have never run from any of them and we have not been stopped. We've saved people."

"Saving people," his father sneered. "Why would you waste resources to save people?"

"Because in the end, good men do not turn away," Lex said softly. His eyes hardened as he met his father's. "What good is having things, when people suffer? What good is being remembered as only a monster who forced people to their will?

"Is this why you do this," his father growled. "To be remembered?"

Lex shook his head. It was the saddest thing about his own father, he never got it. "You don't get it, you never did."

"Enlighten me," he growled dangerously.

"I do this, because my brother expects better of me," Lex all but screamed. "I do this because a man who was not my father, sacrificed himself to save me. I do this because he wanted me to be a better man, and I will, by god, be that man. He expects me to give a damn, and I will not let his gift to go to waste. You would understand if you ever had something you cared about besides yourself, you pompous asshole."

His father looked taken aback.

"How…"

"I dare, because you have grown to believe that strength only comes through what you can force from people," he snapped. "You never understood strength. Strength comes when you're broken and afraid, and can still find the courage to go on. Strength isn't people remembering how you forced your will on them, it's how they remember you in their hearts. Maybe if you had the courage for anything after mom died you would realize that you asshole."

His father looked to respond when he felt a delicate hand on his shoulder. He looked back to see the mysterious guard that had taken to protecting Lex.

"Leave," she whispered. "You will not be warned again."

He turned, looking at his son in spite, and then stormed from the room.

"Why do you keep him around," the woman asked, looking at the retreating form of his father.

"Because in the end, he is my father," Lex turned back to the window. He could see explosions in the distance. "I don't have the heart to be the monster my father would be."

"Not anymore," she admitted, looking back at him. She suddenly closed her eyes. "It feels like he is here."

He still wondered about the connection between Isane and Clark. It was after a mission to Japan where he met her, she was just thirteen when they met. She had become a permanent fixture in their lives, even becoming his qusai-bodyguard, and yet he still didn't have the full story of what happened. Clark's only response was that it was her story to tell.

"Yes, it does," Lex turned from the window and sat at his desk. He could see a small dot falling from the sky, directly towards the fight between the League and Doomsday. "You know someday you're going to have to tell me how you know when he is around."

She smiled, eight years with them had done her good. She was so meek when she came to them, like the world had beaten her down. "You taking odds on how badly he beats Zod?"

"Early estimates are five thousand people have died," Lex shook his head. "I don't think there is a way for me to give you odds on what he will do, forcing him from the shadows is going to piss him off. The deaths will leave him murderous."

She smiled. "I understand, sir."

"Stop that," Lex snapped playfully. The girl was more a sister than an employee, he would never force her to call him that. "How many times have I have to tell you to call me Lex?"

"At least once more," she smiled cheekily. "He's going to be in for a hard fight."

Lex nodded. "All we can do is put faith in him."

"After all," she said looking at the screen as the newscrew that had been covering the destruction caught sight of him. Clark's forearm took a full shot from Doomsday, and then he punched the beast sending it into Zod. "The Unseen Man doesn't know when to quit."

"You really need to stop following the blog posts about him," Lex groaned.

Isane laughed.


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Second Chapter of the Unseen Man and only OC I intend to write for the story. Thank you Donny for editing this.  
_

_Chapter Two – Isane_

_Twelve years prior, Japan_

Most people don't believe me when I tell them that I spent a considerable part of my childhood as a sex slave. My "parents" sold me as soon as they thought they could make money off of me.

"All you're good for is whoring yourself out," my father told me as he shoved me towards the Yakuza. I was nine.

My "parents" who had called me freak all my life. They made sure that I was beaten, that I was weak, that I would not struggle all because of the dreams that had taunted me since I was two.

I could still remember my first nightmare. The blood stained ground, the two brothers standing amid a field of swords. Both strong, both defiant, and both broken every single time. Not once did they survive in the dreams I had. It made me a freak.

Love was foreign to me; I could barely call myself human when they sold me away. I was nine years old.

I was forced to work in a whorehouse from the age of twelve. Some of the customers had younger tastes, and the boss that had purchased me thought it a good way to earn back some of the money that he had spent for his "toy".

He had taken my innocence a week after he bought me. I cannot remember the number of times that I was violated. I still could cry myself to sleep if I dwelt on it for too long.

This was my world. I had seen girls try and run, only to be hunted down by the Yakuza who ran the house. Some were brought back, but most we never saw again. I had to risk it though. I had to run. I stabbed one of the customers in the balls, as he screamed I slipped out the window and ran.

The Yakuza that ran the whorehouse sent two of their people after me. They caught me in a dark alley; I was forced to the ground. I could remember several hits and a leer from the one on top of me. He ran his hands up my legs, and then his partner slammed into him.

It was like an anime that my former cousins used to watch. They skidded down the street, and as they pulled themselves from the ground, they came face to face with the angry visage of the man who had come to save me.

He looked down at me, the light shadowing his face so that he looked like a hero. "I will protect you," he said to me in broken Japanese.

No one had ever told me that before.

He pivoted, punching one of the yakuza in the chest, and through a wall. I blinked. He punched one of the Yakuza through a wall. A cinder-block wall. I gaped in wonder, but the Yakuza's partners didn't take long to react.

Bullets flew.

He shielded me.

Me! The worthless whore my father had told me I would be for the rest of my life, before I was taken away.

He protected me.

A bullet pierced his back, he was injured, but it didn't stop him. He grabbed one and slammed him into another wall. The wall collapsed, the other looked at him in terror.

"Bakemono," the man trembled. The man stepped forward and that was it. The yakuza turned and ran. He looked back at me, smiled and slammed into the ground. I wanted to run, I wanted to hide, but I rushed forward. I flipped him over, lords was he heavy, and looked at the wound. His white shirt was stained red with blood.

"Please," I begged. "Please be okay."

I didn't want to lose my protector.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Present, Luthor Towers

I watched the interaction with his father, until I could bear it no more. How this vile man could have produced a son like Alexander was beyond me. He sought to undo all of Alexander's work, even going as far as to try and reveal to the underworld who the Unseen Man was. It was the final straw for Alexander.

He had forced his father to step down nearly ten years ago, after the attempt to kill Clark Alexander had stripped him of any remaining power and relegated him to a figurehead. He went as far as to assign a shadow to keep him out of trouble.

Alexander's father always tested his patience though. There were always moments where I caught glimpses of the darkness that had permeated him before father's death.

Jonathan Kent. I only ever saw pictures of him, but the reverence with which Alexander and Clark spoke of him, it was clear he had a profound effect on all he touched. Not the least of which was me.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Twelve Years Ago, Japan

Three people were there less than five minutes after the attack. Two of them were middle aged; one was about the same age as my protector. He was completely bald and had calculating eyes like Mas…Boss. The aura about him is the same too, tainted by the darkness he has already seen.

"What happened?" the bald man asked me in crisp Japanese. Two other foreigners were with him, but they focused on my protector.

I mumbled something, and his eyes narrowed.

"It's not your fault," the man barked. "Now tell me, who did this!"

I told him my story. I told him everything and I could see the shadows in his eyes. I wish I knew what he was thinking

"Lex," the man over my protector called out. I could not understand what he was saying. "Bring her with us, if Clark fought for her…"

"You golden-hearted fool," the bald one said for my benefit in Japanese. "You're coming with us, any objections?"

I shook my head. I knew there would be no room for argument.

There was a commotion; I looked up to see several of the yakuza coming. The bald man ordered his men to stop them, but three got past them. They wasted no time, drawing weapons

One of them leveled a gun at us.

There was a spray of bullets.

Someone forced me to the ground.

I heard a scream.

I felt warm blood through my shirt.

"Kill them all," the bald man shouted. He had managed to get out from the man who had tackled them to the ground. He grabbed the gun hand of one of the Yakuza, wrenching it free and pointing it at the man's head.

Three shots rang out.

The man dropped to the ground.

"Son of a bitch," the man said. I understood English swear words, enough tourists had used the house that I understood how they talked. "Kill them all!"

A hail of gun fire answered his order and the Yakuza that had come for them dropped to the ground. I had never seen the Yakuza hurt so badly before.

I struggled, trying to get myself up only to fall back down. I am not strong enough to move the man who had tackled us to the ground.

Police siren's blared and the bald one rushed over to the woman.

"Mom," he mumbled. There is desperation in his voice. He looked at the woman. "No…"

"Mom," he cried out. "Martha, can you hear me."

There was groan.

"Lex," the woman mumbled. "Check Jonathan."

He nodded and laid her gently against the ground. He rushed over to me and helped me pull off the man. He gasped.

I looked up, and saw pain.

His eyes, they were so painful as he lowered the man who shielded me to the ground.

My heart stopped as I looked at my second protector.

"It's not your fault," the bald man repeated.

I wanted to say something, but I had no idea what to say. How could this not be my fault?

"Sir," one of the bald man's men came up to him. "An ambulance will be here."

The bald one said nothing. He simply stared at the man who had shielded me. There were tears in his eyes, but he didn't let them fall. How strong were these foreigners?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX

Present, Luthor Towers

"Leave," I whispered. I laced as much malice into my voice as I could. "You will not be warned again."

He turned and nearly spat at me, then he turned back looking at his son in spite, and then stormed from the room.

Alexander's dark mood lightened slightly. He was still worried, his brother was coming to battle what appeared to be the undefeatable.

"Why do you keep him around," I asked, shivering in disgust at the feeling of Alexander's birth father being near me.

I can feel the energy of the world tremble. There is nothing like the sensation he creates, I can feel him when he is near, his presence so strong and bright. I have always wondered why I am able to feel him so clearly, even Lex takes some work for me to know when he is near.

"Because in the end, he is my father," Alexander turned back to the window. He could see explosions in the distance. "I don't have the heart to be the monster my father would be."

"Not anymore," I smile. Alexander likes the world to believe that he was still lurking in the shadows, that he had more back room deals than the President trying to get something through Congress. Truth be told, the bribes stopped when he took control. Now most of Luthor Corps work is on merit alone. Wayne and Queen could barely touch him when he sets his mind on something.

I feel him clearly now, he's here, and he is upset.

"It feels like he is here," I whisper. His aura is angry. The world shudders as he drops towards it.

"Yes, it does," Alexander turned and smiled at me. "You know someday you're going to have to tell me how you know when he is around."

Twelve Years Ago, Japan

Their father was dead, I could hear the doctors talking. I could see the rage in the face of the bald one. He eventually introduced himself as Lex.

My protector was in surgery, the mother was being prepped. They were doubtful that she would ever walk again.

Lex sat down next to me. His eyes were full of coldness.

"Who were they?" He asked.

"Tenjo of the Taka Family," I said softly. "What are you going to do?"

"You are going to stay here," he snapped. "My men are here, they will kill anyone who enters these rooms."

The edge in his voice, it reminded her of the Lord…boss. He always had such a heavy hand when he dealt with girls who ran.

"Please…don't make…"

"Be quiet," he commanded. He stood up. "No one is going to send you back, but I am not sure I can forgive you entirely yet. They're the kind ones, I am not." He said gesturing away from himself. I understood he meant the woman and my two protectors.

He turned slowly and looked back at me.

"Stay here, my men will kill anyone who leaves the room or enters it."

He closed the door, and I knew that he was serious. I looked down at the ground. My first protector would be back here soon if the doctors were right. They found a strange rock in several places on his spine, if what they were saying was true.

I wondered if the bald one would kill me before I had a chance to thank him.  
*********************************************************************************

Present, Luthor Towers  
To this day I cannot forget the look in his eyes as he left. This was the Lex that I feared, this was the Lex that I had seen in my dreams. The cold one, the one that could kill without remorse, and the one that would turn on his brother if he thought it would be to his advantage.

The fact that he came back and told me he was sorry always stunned me. He rarely apologized to anyone but Clark or Martha. He cared little what other people thought of him, one of the few things I once wished I could do.

I smiled. Twelve years had brought out that smile that I had hid from the world. Twelve years of love from two brothers, and a mother that I had not had before had done wonders for me.

My own parents…I rarely think of them.

Lex told me that they had actually ran afoul of the Yakuza again, and with no other children to sell off they were not able to get out of it as easily as before.

Clark's presence fills my senses. He is angry. He is very angry.

I still don't know entirely how to explain the feeling. Clark feels so different from the rest of the world, I always think it is because he is my protector, but even Alexander is incredibly protective of me and I cannot feel him as clearly.

"You taking odds on how badly he beats Zod?" I ask, putting away thoughts of the aura that Clark gives off for later.

"Early estimates are five thousand people have died," Lex shook his head. "I don't think there is a way for me to give you odds on what he will do. Forcing him from the shadows is going to piss him off. The deaths will leave him in a murderous state."

I smiled. It's time to annoy my brother once more. "I understand, Alexander."

"Stop that," Alexander snapped playfully. "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Lex?"

"At least once more," I smiled cheekily. "He's going to be in for a hard fight."

Lex nodded. "All we can do is put faith in him."

"After all," I look at a screen and watch as my brother takes on the two that had been destroying the League before. Clark's forearm took a full shot from Doomsday, and then he punched the beast sending it into Zod. "The Unseen Man doesn't know when to quit. He does not fail."

"You really need to stop following his fans blog posts," Lex groaned.

I laugh. I actually wrote a blog for him for a while. If my brother ever found out he would probably die from embarrassment. He is like that.

I shudder.

I feel his rage.

He is angry about something. After we met, all of his hate, all of his pain was directed inward, and then he had saved my life again. I don't understand it but that pain, that loss had evaporated from him over the years, even as he ventured into the darkest part of the human existence.

Sometimes I don't know what to make of him. When he is this angry I fear the darkness in his own heart will take over, but I have never seen it.

"You are the one that will dance the stars when I am done," he has whispered to me after the burial of his father. "You are the one I will make a better future for."

I can't find a reason not to believe him anymore. After all, my protectors made the nightmares go away.


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Note: Next Part of Unseen Man. Kara. Hope I have done it justice. Thanks to Donny once again for editing this. Up next is Wonder Woman.

Part 3 – Kara

Pain.

All I know is pain. It is difficult to move. I just want to just sleep.

I force one eye open. The other is swollen shut. I can barely make out anything. Small rubble falls off of me as I push with my own good arm.

There is the muffled sounds of struggle, of flesh meeting flesh, of stone cracking. A grunt of exertion.

My head turns slightly.

I gasp.

It has to be. There is no way that Uncle Jor survived the destruction of Krypton. There is just no way.

* * *

Krypton – 23 years ago.

"You can't be serious Jor. If you let this out Zod and his gang on of sycophants will have you all but turned into the greatest traitor in our history," my father screamed. "You have a son that is about to be born and a wife to care for."

"And I am still Kryptonian," my uncle said in defiance. "I know what the price will be, Zor, but I have no choice."

"They won't listen," dad slammed his hands onto Uncle's desk. "When have they ever listened? All that they care about now is themselves. They have cut funding to the space projects and the colony was "destroyed" in that meteor strike."

I can hear the quotation marks hanging in the air as dad let loose with his usual vitriol towards the ruling elite.

"We can't prove it," Uncle Jor said calmly.

"That doesn't make it untrue," dad was angry. He had friends on the colony and he knew Zod was behind its destruction. He never held back the truth from me, though I know that he wanted to.

"I know, Zor," Uncle Jor said softly. "I lost friends on the Colony too, but we can't let our desires blind us right now. We have a year, tops before everything comes to a head."

"I will intensify Kara's training then. She is going to need to understand what it will mean to be under a yellow sun and raising her cousin."

Uncle Jor nodded. I still don't understand what they are talking about.

"When is Lara due?" Dad asked, leaning back in his chair finally. The last few months had taken a lot out of him. He was thinner and his face more haggard. He had not shaved in a couple weeks and taken fewer meals than normal.

Mom put on a brave front, but I knew that it was just a front. There was something big happening, bigger than even what dad had told me, but the brothers held it close to the vest.

"Any day now she will give birth to our son," Uncle Jor said with a hint of pride. Dad always had told me that Uncle Jor never expected to have children. The fact that Aunt Lara was pregnant was a complete surprise to everyone.

"Have you two decided on a name?"

Uncle Jor smiled tightly. "His name is Kal-El, the next Lord of the House of El."

"A fine name," dad smiled. There was a haunting of sadness there.

"Don't fret brother," Uncle Jor smiled tightly. "Zod thinks that he has won, but he has no idea what will happen next."

* * *

Present

I groan. The effort is agonizing.

Having only one good arm makes moving all the more problematic. Fucking dumb brick. It was probably too stupid to realize it should stay down. Seems like something Zod would love as a plaything.

Sitting even hurts. I know one of my ribs is cracked, but I don't care. The League is out of this right now, even Wonder Woman seems to be having trouble getting up.

I make out the behemoth and his master moving with the figure that I assume is the man who entered the fight.

God, it's hard to believe how much he looked like my uncle.

It's impossible though.

I know Kal died on Krypton, there is no way that he could have survived.

* * *

Krypton – 22 years ago

"I know Zor," her uncle said softly. "I understand perfectly what Zod has done."

"I can try and adapt my ship…"

Her uncle held up his hand. "No, if you start ordering parts again, Zod will know that you have one. We both agreed, one person per ship, it was the safest way."

Her father slumped. "It's not right, Jor. Kal's life is just beginning."

"It won't end that easily," her uncle smirked slightly. "I won't let it, but I can't let you get involved. We can't get caught if this is going to work."

Her father nodded. She wanted to speak, only to feel a tug at her leg. She looked down at her baby cousin. He looked up at her with a wide smile.

She bent down, picking him up and holding him close. He laughed happily, he was crawling now but he still loved to be held. He liked being high up.

"I see we have an unexpected guest," her uncle looked down at her. "You know better than to spy, Kara."

"I am sorry, Uncle," she looked down.

"None of that, girl," he said motioning her to come in. "How was school today?'

"About as good as can be expected," Kara groused. "They are still talking about my traitor uncle, and his public humiliation."

"You will find, child," her uncle said sitting back at his desk, "The most vicious people in the world are children, because none of them understand the power of their words. It's only as we grow up that we begin to realize that words are some of the most destructive things we can create."

Kara nodded. Her uncle was always the wise one of their family, even her father said it on a regular basis. He was the planner, the one that could see an idea and how to carry it out, and with her aunt he would be virtually unstoppable.

"Kara, take Kal to his room," her uncle said simply. "Make sure to close the door on your way out."

She nodded, holding her cousin tightly. The family had retreated to the main compound after Zod's public humiliation of her uncle. Few of their former allies were willing to stick their necks out for them so all they had left were themselves.

"She's a good girl, Zor," she heard her uncle say. "You should be proud."

"I am," her father said, and she could see his smile in her mind's eye.

* * *

Present

My vision is slowly coming back. Have to love that Kryptonian healing factor in the yellow sun.

The man, who looked like her uncle, was battling Zod. He blocked a punch with his forearm, parried the follow up punch, and backhanded Zod across the jaw. Where was Doomsday?

A primal roar brought my attention to the nearest building…wasn't there a multistory building there recently? The abomination rose up from the ground, throwing off tons of debris with a single shove. He roared in complete frustration stomping towards Zod and the man.

"You have to be Kal-El," I breathed. "You have to be Kal-El."

It was a mantra. It was a hope. It was a dream, all rolled into one.

It must be Kal-El, my beloved cousin, who I could not save. He is here, saving me.

* * *

Krypton 22 years ago

"There's the traitor's niece," a voice whispered from the shadow.

Kara forced herself to relax. Ever since it had been announced, and her Uncle removed from the council, people had been trying to get a rise out of her. Honestly, she hoped that the world would end so these brats could see just how wrong they were.

"Get to class now," a voice ordered. She looked at the teacher with disdain; Kara had heard her comments as well about her uncle. As far as she was concerned they all deserved to burn.

"I bet she's going to go home and cry to her uncle," a younger voice called out. "Lot of good that will do her though, since he no longer sits on the council."

Kara thought she was trembling at first but the building's edges started coming down.

"What's going on," the teacher looked around in terror. There had not been a tectonic shift on Krypton since they had learned to control the release of energy for their planet.

Another wall began to come down.

"It's starting," Kara whispered to herself. Forgetting about her things, she bolted from the room and left the school.

She looked up towards the capital city skyline. Buildings were crumbling.

"It really has started." Her uncle's voice sounded in her head.

She grabbed her bike and roared out of the school compound. The magnetic lifts were acting weird; she shifted her weight and dodged an explosion of magma.

"Damn it," she swore as she looked down. A river of lava now ran through where the school had been. She could see some of her classmates had made it out.

She shifted again and zoomed towards the family compound. She had to get to the ship; her father had drilled this into her head.

The magnetic drive gave out. The forward edge of her bike plunged forward and fell hard. She leaped from the bike, watched it slam into the ground, and rolled, scrapping her elbow. Pushing herself up, she raced towards the launch bay.

"Dad!" she called out. "Dad!"

"Kara!" Zor-El motioned for her to come forward. "Come on girl! Come on!"

"Dad, where is mom?"

Her father looked down. "She was in the Capital City, Kara."

"No!" she screamed.

"Kara, this is not the time," her father said. "We've got to get you ready to go."

Kara's jaw dropped. She hadn't been told this.

"What do you mean me?" she screamed. "Aren't you coming with me too? What about Kal, or Aunt Lara, or Uncle Jor?"

Kara turned to run from the hangar only to feel a heavy hand chop against her neck. She looked up at her father in betrayal as she fell to the floor. She watched him inject her with a syringe and felt her eyelids grow heavy.

"Never forget I love you," he whispered as her world went dark. "I am sorry, Kara."

* * *

Present

It haunts me to this day.

Did it matter though? Did it matter if he was Kal-El?

"Yes," I whispered. "It matters, because he is Kal."

He somehow knew Doomsday was coming. He leapt through the air, avoiding the bull-rush letting Zod take the punch that had been coming towards him. He wasn't so lucky on the backhand. As Zod flew away from them, Doomsday twisted his upper body and smacked him through the air. He skidded through several concrete slabs before slamming violently into a set of stairs that led to a larger building.

The abomination howled as he turned to face the man. His eyes spoke of pain, his maw dripping with thick saliva and what looked to be blood. Was it his? Had the beast managed to harm Kal-El?

"No," I breathed. I forced my leg to move. My body fights me, but I force it to move."

"Stand up," I repeat. "Stand up. Fight. This isn't over with yet."

I somehow make it to one knee. I force the ball of my left foot into the ground, using all of my strength I force myself up. My legs protest the strain, they want to rest, but I can't. I have to get up, I have to start fighting again. I have to save Kal-El. I have to save this world.

"Not this time. Not another world, Zod," I hissed. I launched forward. My body was mending quickly. It was time to fight.

"Sunlight is not the only thing that gives us power, Kara," my father told me. "Remember when all else fails, stand and fight. Your cousin will always be counting on you."

My cousin was counting on me.

* * *

The Earth, 18 years ago

I stared out towards the rising sun. I loved the beach when I was a kid, and Earth gave me plenty of chance to indulge in that little joy.

"I thought I would find you here," Diana appeared behind me.

I sighed. Diana, as strong as she is, should not be able to find me when I want to be alone. It meant that the "stick up his butt" had somehow stuck another tracking device on me, again.

"You know I am going to punch Batty next time I see him right?"

Diana chuckled slightly. "Bruce is, unique."

"That's one way of putting it," I shrugged. "So I take it you guys want an answer."

"The League could use your support," Diana said standing slightly behind me. She was never the type to interrupt someone when they were truly at peace.

"You know, I didn't come to this world to save it," I looked back at her. "I was sent here because my world was too short sighted to really care about anything but the now."

I rarely talked about Krypton. Most of the people on this world would never understand just what had happened in the dying days of Krypton.

"I didn't come here to save these people," I said softly. "I don't even know why I am doing this."

"Why were you sent here then," Diana asked softly. "What were you trained for?"

"I was the one who was to raise, Kal." I said simply.

"Kal?" Diana finally stepped next to me and looked at me questioningly. "Who is Kal?"

"Kal-El, my uncle's only son," I want to cry but I stubbornly hold back the tears. "I was trained to raise him, trained to understand the effects of the yellow sun on a child growing up."

"Kal," Diana repeated. "It's an interesting name."

"He was an amazing child," I smile looking up towards the sky. "He always wanted to play whenever I saw him, and I couldn't find it in myself to deny him."

"He sounds like a great kid," Diana said before she looked at me in horror. "I didn't…"

"No, it's okay," I look back towards the city. "You weren't the one who failed him."

"Why did you become Supergirl?" Diana asked after a moment of silence.

"I honestly don't know sometimes," I admitted. "I guess. For every life I save, for every person I help, I just feel like a bit more of my soul is back."

Diana looked at the ground and then looked back at me. "You…"

"Don't try and tell me it wasn't my fault," I snapped. "I know what happened, I lived that nightmare! I still do every night! I hear the cries of this world and I find it hard to care because I couldn't save one life. What type of monster does that make me?"

Diana placed a hand on my shoulder. "It's what defines you're heart, Kara."

I look at the older woman.

"Find the rest of it, Kara," Diana said with a soft smile. "The League could use your help, but I think the League could help you too. We will be there when you're ready."

Diana left me alone after that. As she flew away I noticed a small device that had been brought up to my shoulder.

How the hell the bat got it on me?

I am so going to pound the bat one next time I see him.

* * *

Present

"What are you doing?" the man shouted as I decked Doomsday. He grabbed my hand and swung me around hard so that I kicked the beast in the temple.

"This isn't your fight, alone!" I scream at him. "Whatever you might think, this fight is not yours alone!"

The man actually smiled at me. "Clark Kent."

"Kara Zor-El," I looked towards our enemies. "You want the abomination or the traitor?"

"I guess Jackass really does have a history," he looked back at Zod, who was slowly getting up. "Do you think you can hold the rock off for a few minutes?"

I nod. There is nothing that is going to stop me from saving him this time.

"Keep him busy," Clark said simply. "Once I am finished with Jackass I will come help you."

I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he would not be losing to Zod.

I turned back and focused solely on my opponent. I walked forward slowly.

* * *

Earth, 17 years ago

I stepped onto the deck of the Watch Tower. It wasn't like the cities on Krypton, but it was still an extraordinary place.

I know that Diana is surprised, I can see it in her face as I walk towards them.

It had taken me a year, but I found that again.

"Kara," Diana said happily.

"Diana," I said with a slight smile.

"Have…?" Diana began.

"I have made my choice." I said simply. "I want to be a hero that can face Kal one day."

Diana only smiled as the others gathered to welcome me.

Batman oddly enough, looked to have a bruise around one of his eyes.

* * *

Metropolis, Now

I dodged a punch, danced into his guard and slammed my fist into its elbow.

According to Zod, one could never defeat Doomsday the same way twice. That meant I was going to have to put him down once and for all.

I leap over a kick, twist in mid-air, and slam my heels into its head. The beast staggers as I drive it several inches into the ground.

I landed in a fighting stance behind it. Leaping towards it, I slam my fists into the small of its back, where its spine should be. The beast staggers.

"I won't see this happen again," I growled out. "You won't take them from me again, I won't allow it."

My next hit sends Doomsday flying through the air and into another building. Breathing heavily I looked at my fists.

The guilt of Kal-El has always eaten away at me. I hated myself. I hadn't saved my baby cousin. I hated my people even more because their blindness had doomed them all.

My father is gone, my mother is gone, my aunt, my uncle, every member of my family is gone. I am not going to lose anymore. I am tired of it.

With a swing I bury my fist into Doomsday's gut. The abomination cries out as I grab it by the head and drive my knee into its nose.

"No more," I growl out, slamming my fist into the staggered beast's temple.

"No more," I say between clenched teeth driving my hand into its throat. The beast gasps in pain.

"No more!" I scream, kicking it in the stomach launching it into the air.

The beast falls back. I know it isn't out, but it feels…good.

I look back at Clark and Zod for a moment, amazed at the fight he is giving Zod. He has to be my cousin. He has to be.

There was one piece left of my family, there was one piece left of my world. I was not going to fail it again. I turned and readied myself. Doomsday roared, looming over me by three feet.

I smile slightly. I wasn't going to fail. Not here. Not this time.

"Bring it on," I snarl.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Wonder Woman

_**Present**_

I groan.

The throbbing in my head is still working it way through my skull.

I have never hurt like this before.

My eyes snap open and there is nothing. I strain to push myself up, I fall back to the ground. I cannot find Doomsday or Zod.

I hear the sound of fighting.

Could one of us still be fighting? I wonder which one of us could possibly still be holding our own against these two.

The only one that I can think of is Kara, but I thought I had seen her go down.

Who?

My eyes are still blurry, the magic that the gods had gifted me with is working to heal me, but my body still hurts.

I had fought Kara to a near standstill and yet it still had not prepared me for this. As strong as Kara is, Zod found a way to be just as strong, and coupled with the unstable, unstoppable, force of Doomsday.

I don't know how we are going to survive.

"Gaaah," I try to push myself up, only to have excruciating pain shoot up my arm. It is broken. I drop back to the ground, panting as the pain slowly ebbs. This is something that I have not experienced since I was a small child.

Gods, this monster is strong.

I rolled over in time to watch Doomsday and Kara skid by me. Rubble pelts my face as the strongest warrior in the League does battle with the beast that had torn through all of us.

Where is Zod?

"Stay down!" Zod's voice is panicked.

My eyes turn, tracking the sound of our enemy's voice. I gasp in amazement.

He's really here.

* * *

**_Eleven years ago, Luthor Building, Lab 1_**

"Goddamnit," Steve cursed as he tried to navigate the cluttered halls of the main Luthor lab.

It looked like a great deal was changing at the company, much to the government's dismay.

I took note of several vicious looking weapons that were in the process of being broken down, and a stunned scientist looking over, what looked to be, the early stages of a type of hay. I can honestly say that I did not expect to see Luthor willingly dismantle his war machine without being at the point of the sword.

When word came down that Luthor had canceled his contracts, there was dead silence in the pentagon. CNBC and other business media outlets bemoaned the colossal failure that the younger son was bringing to the once proud industrial giant, right up until they announced Persephone, a nutrient that would reclaim arable land from over farming. It was expected to produce billions in revenue.

"I still can't believe that bastard Luthor had the gall to pull this shit," Steve viciously swore looking at what was his personal project, the X-19 Cobra Fighter.

It was supposed to be the first Space Superiority Fighter in the world, but the project had been shelved and the prototype that Luthor had been working on was being scrapped. Rumor had it that Luthor had taken personal joy in calling Steve and telling him that the new armor would be used in creating water purifiers for the African continent.

"You know that Lionel is no longer in control of the company," I add looking around, rather stunned still at the sudden change in this once largest weapons supplier on the planet.

It was said that the company was also working on wheat crops that would be able to grow in harsher environments and other projects that would help a starving world.

It was not without its bumps as many of the old Board of Directors had resisted the change, but Alexander Luthor had quashed any hint of rebellion within the Company almost as efficiently as his father did.

"And this prick Lex thinks that he is going to make its image better by," Steve's voice trailed off as he caught sight of a large man approaching them.

"You know, Douche Bag," the dark haired man said with a growl. "You really should learn to keep your mouth shut. You never know what type of garbage might come out of it."

"Kent," Steve snapped. I am surprised at the venom in Steve's voice. What happened between them to cause such animosity? "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What I always do," the now named Kent shrugged. "How the hell did you get past the front gate anyways? The Government has no need to be here now."

"You know what general stars can do Kent, they open doors," Steve mocked. I watched Kent bristle. I could tell that there was bad blood between them, but as far as I know they have only met once before. "Where the hell is Luthor at? I want to have a few words with him."

"Seriously, that's the best you can do?" Kent looked at me. He had a look of mock shock at Steve's behavior. "Is he always like this, Sweet Cheeks?"

"Sweet…Cheeks," I blinked. No one had ever called me that. Was he really "flirting" with me right now?

"Shut up, Kent!" Steve screamed.

"You sound constipated, Douche Bag," Kent shot back at Steve.

Everything in his posture screamed danger, like he was looking for an excuse to lash out and hit Steve.

I remind myself again that I am Diana Prince and that I should not intercept any attacks he might launch.

"How hard is it to get that we want nothing to do with you? I thought we made that abundantly clear after you met our sister," Kent growled.

Steve had had enough. He lunged forward only to be stopped by a blow to the jaw. I blinked, barely catching the shift in his shoulders as Kent laid into Steve. I was about to move when another cold voice called out.

"Honestly, Douche Bag," Lex Luthor walked towards us. It was a testament to how secure he felt in his own buildings that Lex never had bodyguards, even with the board and his father gunning for his life.

"You think you would learn not to let Clark get to you. But it seems the military doesn't require intelligence to move up the ranks these days." Lex continued contemptuously.

I looked back at Steve, raising an eyebrow. "Douche Bag?"

"You don't know why we call him that?" Lex smirked slightly. "Douche Bag here made a comment that he shouldn't have the first time he met our sister. He not only got a broken nose and put through an ice sculpture for it, but he also earned the name Douche Bag from her. And she was right, so the name stuck."

I looked at Lex and watched as the younger man stepped towards me.

"Alexander Luthor," he took my hand and kissed the back of it before stepping back. "I take it you're Diana Prince."

I nodded, still stunned that Steve had earned the name Douche Bag and wondering what he had said.

"I guess from the looks of Douche Bag, you're here to try and get me to continue the weapons projects," he shook his head. "In all honesty, what I am going to do will make me more money than dealing with the government in the long run so you can really forget it."

He turned around and stepped to one of his holographic displays. With a few keystrokes the nutrient that I had heard about was spinning before us.

"This is Nutrient 123, codenamed Persephone," he looked at me, a look of complete understanding. I have not seen it, even from Bruce. "I am sure someone of your stature, Diana, can appreciate the reference."

My heart stopped at that; Persephone, the goddess Demeter's child, the reason that humans had winter. Did he really know my secret?

"Persephone is a nutrient restore for soil that has lost all nutrients to grow food," Lex smirked back at us. "At 500,000 lbs sold I will be in the black, and here is the great part. It enhances areas that haven't lost everything yet, and it works on a yearly basis. This is renewable, long term income for my share holders and this is the tip of the iceberg."

I know he is not exaggerating. It's barely been a month since the announcement that weapons contracts would cease.

"This is why I am not doing the weapons deals anymore," he said simply. "I make money for my shareholders and money for myself doing this."

He stepped back towards us and glowered at Steve. "So get this through your skull. Don't come back."

Glaciers were warmer than Luthor's voice as he looked down on Steve.

"I should thank you though. Your little stunt today revealed the mole you had in my security, and now that means that I can sure up things around here without worrying about government spies. So thank you."

Steve could only rub his jaw, which I am pretty sure is broken. I had never seen a man hit Steve so hard before.

"Even if I am trying to turn over a new leaf in this world, I am still a business man. The first rule of business is to make money for those who invest in your business. While the government contracts seem like good money, you would not believe how much in the way of extra costs I pile up trying to get the changes you fools want approved and the contracts changed to reflect it." Lex explained.

Lex looked back at the model and then at his brother. "Here, doing this, I get to do good for the world, and still make money. People don't seem to get that genius and saving the world can go hand and hand."

Kent looked at him proudly, as if he had made a major step forward.

Lex looked me in the eyes and I noticed the shift. His eyes were as cold as Kent's. "I have the ability to change the world, and if I focus myself on it I can, and keep making money."

He looked down in disgust at Steve. "Take Douche Bag and get out of here, I really don't need to remind you that you're not welcome back."

I nod slowly, still reeling at the thought that Lex knew about my her secret identity.

I stopped as Kent stepped in front of us.

"I don't want to fight," I said looking up at him.

"You're not going to get one, but Douche Bag is going to listen," he said simply. "Try and intimidate my family again I will rip you apart and not even the government will be able to stop me. Do you understand?"

Even through the pain he was in I could tell that he got it. Steve nodded, looking down as his jaw was now showing a visible bruise.

I walked past, only to stop as I felt a tap on my butt.

"See ya, Sweet Cheeks," he said with a grin as he walked back towards his brother.

He was so going to pay for that.

* * *

_**Present**_

Clark Kent. He has not turned away.

I watch, fascinated, as he dances inside of Zod's guard and slams his fist into Zod's throat. The former General of Kara's home world is gasping for air.

He is strong! Stronger than even I had imagined.

The more I had gotten to know him, the more convinced I became that he was a meta-human, but there had been nothing to prove it. Until now.

He is more than holding his own against the Kryptonian General that had nearly killed me.

How?

Clark looks towards me. How did he know that I was awake?

"Well, Sweet Cheeks," Clark smiles in spite of himself. The darkness that surrounded him years ago has passed. In its place is a confidence that I thought I would never see. "How's it going today? Does Douche Bag know about your second job?"

"What are you doing?" I nearly screamed. The idiot, stepping out into the light was the last thing that he wanted.

"Don't you know what's going on here?" I ask.

He nodded. "I am trying to save the world."

* * *

_**Metropolis, 10 years ago**_

Lex Luthor was standing in the rain with him. He was on the ground, and I could hear the sobs coming from him. I want to step closer, but they appear to be in a private moment.

"Wonder Woman," Isane said softly.

I looked over at the small girl. She knew my name, they all did. I discovered a year after our first meeting when Clark had let it slip. Isane at least had sense to use my name when I was in uniform.

"What happened?" I had asked, wondering what could cause the usually happy brothers such a darkness.

"Clark made a mistake," Isane said softly. "He got cocky when those guys grabbed me and they threw me out of the plane before he could take them down."

My eyes blinked. The plane had been destroyed. She had been en route to try and bring it down when three missiles vaporized the ship. The government wanted to press charges against Luthor, but they knew with the nightmare of one of their own being part of the plot it would be a smear they could ill afford right now. How had Isane survived?

"There is a lot going on I don't know," I shook my head looking at the girl. "Are you alright?"

"I have been better," Isane admitted looking towards her brothers. "But I know it's better now."

Isane was a little, off. She reminds me of the Oracle at Delphi. She seemed to know far more about the world than should be possible.

"How..."

Isane smiled at me. "Clark is a lot more than we ever thought. While I was falling from the plane I almost passed out, but I know I saw one thing. I saw my brother falling after me, with a look of determination I have not seen. The next thing I knew I was on the ground."

Flight. He could fly. There was no other way to explain it.

"Heroes come in many forms, Wonder Woman. Some seen, some never known, and I know my brother. He's not going to walk in the same light you do."

I knew that. I had known for a while.

"I will talk with him again." I turned to leave.

"Diana, don't think that he will ever be your enemy," Isane called after me. "He can be annoying, but he is also the truest friend you can ask for. If he lets you, never forget that."

I nodded as if I understood, but I wondered what she was trying to say.

* * *

_**Present**_

He is stronger now than he had been back then. His eyes are hard, and his spirit seems to have accepted the darkness in himself. That was the scariest part of Clark Kent.

He knew that he could be dark, he accepted it, and used that part of himself to his advantage. Where others lost themselves in the anger, the rage, the pain, the sadness, Clark used it as part of the forge.

"The strongest of us are not always the ones that wear the crowns," my mother told me time and again growing up. It was a lesson I did not understand until I met Clark Kent and Alexander Luthor.

Clark Kent was the man that my mother described. He didn't have the same crown Lex did, but he was still just as strong.

I watch him catch a punch from Zod. The ground cracks under them, and for the first time I begin to understand.

I look towards Kara. She is holding her own against Doomsday, but she is still weak. She needs help. He does not.

One step, one step, I force the mantra in my head.

I stand slowly.

I will keep going forward.

I will not fall here. Not in this battle. Not today.

* * *

**_Indonesia, Nine years ago_**

Clark Kent stood amid the forest looking at the untold devastation from the volcano with almost sorrow. The boy I had met two years earlier was gone. How was he here? Why was he here?

"You're late," he looked at me. "What took you so long?"

It was an accusation. I land against the now cooled lava flow. How had he managed this? Had Luthor invented something else that the world did not know about?

"What took you so long?" he asked me again, not taking his eyes away from over the devastated land.

"We did not know," I said simply. I can tell that did not satisfy him.

He stepped away from me and headed slowly towards the village.

"There are three hundred people," he said simply. "Each of them were in the forest, they were gathering food or just enjoying the day. None of them stood a chance."

"I..."

"You don't speak," he said softly. "You don't give simple words to lives lost. Words are pale compared to that. You tell them they will be remembered. You walk the path for them and hope to God you make it next time.'

It was not a reproach to me. I could tell. He is...there is such sadness. Why?

He looked at me again. "Where is the rest of the League? Did they think you would be enough to stop a volcano?"

I nodded simply.

"You know, sometimes I think they take you and Supergirl for granted," he said looking back towards the smoking volcano crater. "All the strength in the world, doesn't mean that you don't need help."

"Why are you here?" I ask. The way he is looking at me.

"Keep a secret, Diana," he said softly. For the first time I could see him. Dressed in black, his hair was messy from trying to stop the lava flows. His eyes were red from the tears for the lost.

My heart froze in my chest. It was him. The one that we heard about, the one that was driving Bruce absolutely insane. It was him. The Unseen Champion.

"The world isn't a kind place, there is nothing that you can do about it at times," he shook his head. "The only thing you can do is keep trying, to keep going forward one step at a time."

"How..."

Before I could get my question out a gust of wind forced me to close my eyes. It was incredibly strong. I opened them as it faded and he was gone.

* * *

**_Present_**

I slam my bad arm into the beast, knocking it away from Kara.

"Diana," she said in shock. "How?"

"He has his end," I shrug slightly. "Are you alright?"

"I have been better," Kara admitted. "Are you?"

"I'll live, but I have one arm that is going to need to be looked at when this is over."

Kara smirked slightly. "You're pretty sure we're going to win."

I look back at Clark.

"The Unseen Champion stepped into the light," I say with a shrug. "Even if he is a pain in the ass, he will not let us down."

I know, in my heart, he will not let us down.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Alexander Kent

Diana and Kara are back in the fight, which is good.

The bad thing is that they are far from fresh, and Doomsday is basically the definition of overkill. Even if Clark can handle Zod, it might all be for nothing if they cannot stop Doomsday.

He keeps coming, even after the Army, and the League basically threw everything but the kitchen sink against it, throwing Diana into a wall. Wonder Woman's arm looks to be broken still, which shouldn't be possible given her powers from the Gods.

"It's going to be alright, Alexander," Isane says, not taking her eyes of the screen.

My sister is a little weird like that. One of the qualities that I admire about her is that even with the possibility of the world ending, she doesn't flinch. Even when the Yakuza were about to rape and kill her she never gave them the pleasure of seeing her beg.

It is courage, it is character, something that I have been missing for too long.

I am lucky to still have them.

Isane is the strong one.

Clark is the brave one.

Mom is the moral compass for all of us.

I hate feeling this helpless. I want to protect them, even if my soul be damned to hell, and I can't do anything right now.

* * *

Metropolis, 10 years ago

They had grabbed her. That son-of-a-bitch had sold her out and now my enemies had her and fully intended to make me suffer.

My father would pay when this was over.

They would not have my sister.

"They are at Metropolis air field right now," I pointed to the dot moving across the large holographic display. "Clark, hurry up and get there."

"Right," the cold voice of my brother sounded through the open communications channel "I should get there in five minutes."

They had a big head start. He would be cutting it close, even at his top speed.

Martha was standing next to me, her legs finally repaired after two years. Physical therapy was going to be extensive and she would probably need the help of the exo-skeleton for years to come but at least we were moving in the right direction.

She was worried. Not just because her daughter had been taken.

"Be careful, son," she said simply.

"I will mom," Clark's voice was off. Ever since dad died it sounded hollow. The joy was fake, but the rage was real. He needed a clear head to do this.

I ran my hand across my throat and the tech instantly muted the line.

"This isn't going to go well, mom," I said simply.

She nodded. There were tears forming in her eyes. She had seen it too; Clark's change over the last two years. He was much more willing to use deadly force than he had been before. They had only gotten lucky that he hadn't killed someone.

"I know," she said simply. "We have to hope though. Clark won't fail Isane."

"But he can fail himself," I said softly. "I have other teams on the way, but none of them will get there in time."

I looked towards one of the communications people. "Plot every plane leaving Metropolis now. I want every plane tracked, and teams moving to intercept them wherever they might land. Watch their paths too, if anything out of the ordinary happens I want to know."

It's a sad statement that the old me would have considered this too much of an expense.

"Clark, it looks like they're trying to move," I said as the plane began to taxi towards a runway.

"I am just about there," Clark replied. Even with the special cameras his movements against the world appeared as a blur.

"Son of a bitch," Clark called out. They had left friends.

A row of five of them stood near the car that they had been tracking. As one they opened fire with automatic rifles. With the feed from Clark's camera, we could see bullets slamming into him and dropping to the ground.

With the shards removed his abilities had gone through the roof. He grabbed the first man as the bullets bounced off his chest and lifted him off the ground and slammed him hard into the concrete. The others continued to fire, one had their gun jam. Clark grabbed it and broke it in half. He crushed the man's hand around the handle too and then slammed his right hand into his sternum. He flew into the other one.

"You fuckers really should have learned your place," Clark groweled. He grabbed on of the others and nailed him in the head with his own. The man cried out in pain as he fell back.

The last threw his gun to the ground and ran. It was too late. Clark grabbed him by the shoulder and jabbed his knee into his back. There was a chance he would never walk again.

"Clark, hurry, they are set to start moving." I didn't need to see his face to know that he was angry. I have never seen him as brutal as I just had.

"Got it," he grunted. He threw the guy whose back he just broke away and headed towards the plane.

For some reason those fools had left the door open, not that a closed door would have saved them. Clark leapt onto the plane, which was an old military cargo carrier, and ran up the still open door.

The plane finished take off and I lost visual on that particular camera. All we had left was Clark's own camera.

"Move one more step Kent," one of the kidnappers said. "Your sister will get a bullet to the head."

The image shifted and a woman held a large handgun at Isane's temple.

"Even you can't think you can save her at this range," one of the man sneered.

I heard Clark growl.

I can feel a sudden chill go through my bones. My brother isn't thinking right. He is mad. He grabbed the first and attacked. Isane was thrown roughly to the deck and he moved through her kidnappers.

I watched one of them follow Isane. Damnit!

My brother throws something at the woman. She is nailed in the head, falling back, her gun firing randomly.

"This isn't him," Martha whispered.

"I know," I said, wondering how we could get him out of this. He was not the dark one. He was not the one that was supposed to be like this.

"CLARK!" Isane cried out.

He spun around to see her being held by one of her kidnappers, the door open once more.

"This is what you get, Kent," he roared. With a heave he sent Isane tumbling down the door.

I can feel the horror in my brother's reaction. He grabbed the man and threw him through the cockpit. He didn't think twice, it was hard to watch as my brother launched himself from a plane purposely. What did he think? Did he think he could fly?

"CLARK!," Martha screamed out.

"I won't fail," Clark's whisper was barely discernable through the interference of the wind.

"I won't fail you," Clark shouted. The next thing I know she is in his arms. How had he caught up?

"Not again," he roared. And with that the world came to a sudden halt.

"Lex, is there anything."

"It's done," his aide called out. They all loved Isane, so it should not have surprised me when two missles slammed into the carrier.

No one gets away with taking my family.

"I am headed home, Lex. I have her."

"We almost lost her brother," I said.

A sob was all that came through the channel. I am not sure if it's Isane's or his.

* * *

Metropolis, Present

"Supergirl is back in the fight," Isane commented off hand as we watched the battle unfold. Supergirl had been hurt again by Doomsday but she had somehow gotten back up and was helping Diana. A few of the other League members looked to be stirring. Hopefully, there was some fight left in them.

Clark was holding his own again Zod, but I can tell that the General's title was not just an honorific. His fighting style is much more refined than Clark's, who had studied with some of the greatest the world had ever seen. The General was able to break his guard and land a few blows, but it was nothing that would really slow Clark down. Yet.

"The rest of the League is still out of it," Isane pointed towards Wonder Woman. "Martian Manhunter looks to be getting up, and Batman is stirring, but he is going to have a concussion."

I nod.

"Doomsday did a good job of breaking it," I said darkly. I want to be there with him, fighting by his side, but I know I would only get in the way.

"You know, Lois is going to demand you allow her to write the story big brother," Isane said with a slight smile. She liked Lois, she was good for Lex. "She's kept it this entire time."

"The Unseen Man is now stepping into the light," I shrug. "I am not going to be able to stop her even if I wanted to. Brother has not gotten enough credit for what he has done."

Isane smiled at me. "You really have become a remarkable man, brother."

It warms my heart to hear her call me that.

* * *

Metropolis, 10 years ago

Clark was kneeling against the ground. The rain that the weatherman had promised was there, beating against his back as he cried.

I know it is the moment. He finally realized just how close he was.

"Dad taught us better than that," he whispered to me. "I should have been better."

I am not going to admonish him. He will do that to himself.

"I didn't think," he said a bit louder. "All I felt…"

"Was anger," I finished for him. "I know, Clark."

He looked up at me. It was dark and raining, so there was no clue that he was crying. I know my brother though.

"We almost lost her."

"You found out how to fly," I countered with a slight smile.

He snorted. "To save my sister..."

"Even if it wasn't the best of circumstances, it proves that you will always do everything that you can to save people," I said and a thought ran through my head. "Even if you have to pull powers out of your ass in order to get it done."

He snorted.

"Brother, at the end of the day, the only thing you can do is try and figure out how to save the people that you can," I knelt down next to him and extended my hand. "You needed to think, you needed to be smarter, but you acted on emotion. That tells me that you love Isane unconditionally. It also tells me that the reason you have been so angry for the last few years is you feel like you failed dad. You didn't. You did what he taught us."

"Love unconditionally and protect with out reservation," Clark took my hand and I helped him up.

"You know this means I get to poke and prod with needles right?" I laughed at the look on his face.

It took years for me to figure out how to make a needle that would pierce his now denser skin. Even though he healed incredibly fast and his own nervous system deadened any pain he hated getting poked.

"We do have to figure out how you can fly." I laughed at the look on his face.

* * *

Metropolis, Now

"Lois is about to call you," Isane said with an off hand expression. She had not taken her eyes from the fight. I know that she is nervous.

I am startled a moment later when my cell phone rings. I pull it from my pocket and look at Lois's image.

Sometimes, just sometimes, Isane still manages to creep me out. It took long enough to help her through the nightmares that had haunted her as a child, only for them to be replaced by the odd premonition that comes out of the blue.

I answer.

"Yes," I say with a slight smile. "The promise is still in effect. We will make sure that it is front page tomorrow."

I pause for a moment. I watch Doomsday grab my brother and slam him through a building.

"He'll be fine," I assure a freaking out Lois.

"I know because he is my brother," I say simply. "He will not fail."


End file.
